Sign



myze, 1925. l

. D. E. SCHAFER ET AL SIGN Filed April 30, 1924 2- Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill/A INVENTORS 3 C H AFER..

ATTORNEY.:

PIGIQ FIGIB may` 26, 1925.

D. E. SCHAFER ET AL SIGN Filed April 50. 1924 2 heets-Sheef 2 PIJIZ PGIVJ 1 N VEN TORJ m PB w AA m Hw C A Se uw ,y mNyM/ VH.

Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

DAVID E. SCHAFER AND JOHN W. SCHAB, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SIGN'.

Application illed April'SO, 1924. Serial No. 710,049.

fuiA Improvements iny Signs, of which the.

followingy is. a specification.

Oun presenti invention relates generally to signs and more particularly to signs adaptabletoadvertising and other purposes and. having changeable letters,u characters and the like.. Our: primary object is the provision. of` asign of thistypewhich will be.4 attractive andeffective in use, which may be readily applied up'on buildings, motor `vehicles and the like,andiwhi'chwill be simple and inexpensive both as to first cost and upkeep.

Generally speaking, our invention pro poses asign includingl an outer rigid frame, anfinnerxframe interfitting the outer frame, and a series of interchangeable sign panels within the. innerframe in any desired rela-y tion to forinthe readingmatter of the sign, the innen frame having means to hold the sign panels,. and the outer frame having means to hold the inner` frame securely and safely` iniplace and at the same time insuch manner that iti may be easily and quickly inserted.y in. andv removed fromz the outer frame.

With theabove ob ects and General state- 23 ment 1n mind, our invention resides 1n the features' of construction, varrangement and;

operation to be now described with respect to. the accompanying drawings in whichq Figure l is a side view illustratingV one ofV the many practical applications of the invention,

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the outer frame of our improved sign with the remaining parts removed,

Figure-3 is a side view thereof,

Figure il. is an enlarged vertical section through the lower portion of one side oitl the outer frame,

Figure 5 is a verticalsectional view taken online 5-5 of F igure 4,

Figure 6 is'an enlarged section through the other lower side portionk of the main frame,

Figuref 7 is a vertical section taken through the mainJ frame at a point intermediate itsends,` showing the application; of'l a bracing member thereto.`

Figures 8 and 9 are respectively a, side View and horizontal. section showing one of the spring holders carried by the outer trame for the support of the inner frame, Figures 10 and ll are respectively a front elevation and sideview of the inner frame,

Figures l2 andL 13 are enlarged vertical sections taken on line 12-12 of Figure 10 showing the partsin different positions,

Figure lli is a` vertical transverse section through thecomplete sign including the inner and outer frames andthe panels.

Figures l5 and`l6 are respectively al front elevation and` side'view of a` slightly modi-- fied formel inner frame. y

Referring nonT tothese figures our invention proposes a sign including an: outer frame having end uprights l()` and 11, both of; which have inner grooves. extending therealong` and the end piece or upright 1l .being slotted through as seen at l2 in Fig# ure f3 and provided on its front side with spaced bosse'sl. These endV pieces or uprights 10a-nd 1l which may be provided intei-mediateV their ends with one or more lugs 14C` apertured to receive fastening screws or other members forsecuring the frame to a. wall or for instance'l to the side of thebody lot motor vehicle, as in Figure 1, are secured in spaced apart relation by means of upper and lower frame rods 16, whose re duced threaded ends 17 extend through the end pieces or uprights l0 and ll and are secured by means of nuts '18 so as to thus forni a. rigid rectangular frame.

The upper and lower rods 16 of the main or outer frame pass through U-shaped upper and lower guides 19 which extend continuously along the rods with their ends projecting into the grooves of the end pieces or uprights l0 and l1 so that these U-shaped guides thus form inwardly opening grooves 2O along the outer portions of the main or outer frame for the. reception of the upper and lower anged edges 2l and 22 of' the inner frame which consiste of a body plate 23 adapted `to be shifted endwise into the main frame throughtlul slot 12 of the end piece or upright l Asshown in Figure 6 the upper and lower endso'f the slotted end piece or lupright 11.

mediate the ends of the main :trame in case the latter is of considerable length, this brace strip having clamping members 26 bolted in connection with its opposite ends ,for embracing the upper and lower frame rods 16 and the inner frame guide strips 19 and also having at its opposite ends endwise projecting apertured lugs 27 the latter of which may be utilized similar to the lugs 14 of the end pieces or upri'ghts 10 and 11 for connecting the main or outer frame as a whole in place upon a building, motor vehicle body and the like.

Through the bosses 13 of the end piece or upright 11, which bosses `may extend the full width of said upright as indicated at 13a in Figures 8 and 9, are rotatable and lengthwise shiftable clamping members having outer handle knobs 23 and outer oiset angular portions 29, which latter may be easily shifted into and withdrawn from the slot 12 of the end upright 11 by virtue of the lengthwise and rotative movement of the clamping members in the bosses. At their inner ends beyond the bosses these clamping members have heads 30, cornpressed between which and the inner ends of the bosses are controlling springs 31 which thus serve to hold the clamping members in either the outturned inactive positionl shown in Figure 8 or the inturned active position shown in Figure 9 wherein their oliset outer portions 29 extend into the groove 12 of the end piece or upright 11 and thus serve to hold the inner frame against accidental displacement after it has been shifted endwise into the outer trame within the grooves 2O of the upper and lower guides 19 and the grooves of the end pieces or uprights.

The'sign panels indicated at 32 in Figures 10, 12 and 13 as well as in Figure 1, which may have'suitable characters or letters, and which are interchangeable for detinite relative positions within the inner frame to form the desired reading matter of the sign, are simply rectangular plates of somewhat less than half the width of the inner iframe plate 23. These signpanels may be either shifted endwise into the upper and lower longitudinal grooves of the inner frame formed between the angular longitudinal edge flanges 21a and 22aof the plate 23 andthe somewhat similar flanges 33 of a central longitudinal guide strip 3-1 secured to the plate as seen in Figures lll and 15, or may be placed with their outer edges beneath the angular lianges 21 and 22 of the inner frame Aplate 23 shown in Figures 1U to 13 incluhold the clamping strips in effective posil tions against accidental outward movement.

In this way the clamping strips 35 serve to form with the longitudinal edge flanges 2l and 22 upper and lower lengthwise guide grooves t'orthe reception of the sign panels the same as are formed by the coacting flanges 21a, 22a and 33 in the form of the invention shown in Figures 14 and 15.

It is obvious that irrespective of which former' inner frame is utilized, such inner frame maybe readily shifted into and out or thev outer frame. In withdrawing the inner frame it is simply necessary totpull out and turn the spring holders of the end piece or upright 11. The inner frame is then shifted lengthwise through the end strip or uprightl 1l and when it is free from the main or outer frame it is obviously an easy matter to rearrange or insert new sign panels 32. The inner frame is then replaced and relocked within the outer frame by again turning the spring holders to the eii'ective position shown in Figure 9.

The form of the inner frame-shown in Figures 10 to 13 inclusive makes it possible,

however, to insert new sign panels or re-l arrange those already within the inner frame withoutwithdrawing the inner frame from the outer frame and it thus becomes obvious that our invention not only provides a sign of the present type 'which may be easily and quickly mounted in the irst instance and thereafter adjusted. whenever desired, butvour invention further provides a sign of this type which is simple, strong and durable, in connection with which the parts may be readily renewed, and one which will be simple and inexpensive both as to tirst cost and upkeep.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is 1. A sign of the character described including an outer frame consisting of end pieces having inner grooves, one of said end pieces also having a slot therethrough, rods rigidly connecting the end pieces in spaced apart relation, guide pieces supported on the rods between the end pieces and also presenting inner grooves, sign panels and an inner frame or holder having means to detachably support the 'sign panels and shiftable endwise into and out of the main frame through the said slotted end piece` said holder being disposed within the grooves of the side and end pieces of the main frame and said slotted end piece Lof the main frame having means to engage and vsupport the holder against accidental displacement. y Y

2. A sign including av main rectangular frame having grooved `side and end members and one slotted end member, a holder shiftable into the frame and into the grooves thereoi'` through said slotted end member, having angular flanges longitudinally thereof along its edges, hinged sloringvaotuatedl clamping strips along the Said holder lintermediate the angular flanges thereof and colthe holder, said slotted end piece of the frame having members shiftable into and out of its slot to removably conne the panel holder in place. l

In testimony whereof We have aixed our signatures.

DAVID E. soHAFEn. JOHN W. sonar.. 

